Running to Get Home
by AlexaNDYE
Summary: As Agent Booth checks up on his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan, at her apartment and finds out that she's in the middle of running away. Why did she run away? What will Booth do to get her back?
1. Chapter 1

Running to Get Home

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for Miranda.

Booth gracefully climbed up the stairs with a whistle in his step. He didn't have his FBI suit on nor was he there to pick Brennan up for a case. He was in a nice pair of jeans, a grey t-shirt that always felt comfortable on his body and a black-grey jacket. He was simply there just to make sure that she ate something. He smiled broadly at the green wooden door in front of him. He knocked on it ever so quietly but loud enough to be heard. A minute had gone by and still there was no answer. Booth furrowed his eyebrows and knocked again.

"Bones?" Booth asked. He took his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and pressed his partner's speed dial. He pressed his ear to the door and heard a cell phone ring.

Brennan looked down at the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bones, it's Booth. How come you didn't hear me knocking?" Booth asked through the phone.

Brennan didn't answer. She hung up and slowly walked to the door. Booth closed his cell phone and waited for her to open the door. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her. He wasn't sure why she was acting so weird… maybe she's got sick.

Brennan opened the door with a duffle bag on her shoulder. Booth's smile slowly disappeared as he peered down at the bag.

"You wanted something, Booth?" She asked, gripping her cell phone in her hand.

"Yeah Bones. I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch with me." He tried to smile but couldn't. He knew something was bothering her but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"I already ate." Brennan answered.

"Well why don't we go out just to talk? You can watch me eat and maybe we can chat about our last case. The trail is in a week." He asked her, gesturing to the stairs.

"I'm sorry Booth, I just can't." Brennan walked closer to him, making him jump back. She turned around to lock her apartment. "I have to go somewhere."

"Where's somewhere?" He curiously asked.

"Away…" She tucked her keys inside her bag and turned around. Her face was inches away from Booth's but she wasn't surprised.

"Away?" He furrowed his eyebrows, blocking the stairway.

"Far away from here." Brennan gasped, trying to slip past him but it was no use. Booth placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to stop her.

"Bones—are you running away?" He asked with his mouth drawn open in horror.

She didn't respond. She tried to slip past him again but it didn't work. Brennan looked up at him; trying to plea him to let her go.

"Booth, please. Just let me go."

"No." Booth said sternly. "Tell me what's going on—did someone hurt you last night? Did something happen?"

"It's none of your business, Booth."

"To hell it's none of my business!" He yelled.

"Are Catholics allowed to say that word?" Brennan glared up at him.

"Don't change the subject." He demanded. "I'm your partner Bones. Tell me what's going on."

"I told you, it's none of your business." Brennan tried to force her way past him but his strength was far superior. She couldn't even get him to budge.

"Stop it!" He told her. "Just tell me what's going on!"

"Why do you care, Booth!?" She yelled back.

"Because I'm your friend, Bones! I'm not just going to let you go without an explanation!" He released his grip on her shoulders and moved sideways to completely block her path.

"Booth…"

"Tell me what's going on." He looked down at her, in search for answers.

"If you were _really_ my friend, Booth, you'd let me handle this on my own." She scornfully told him. Booth looked down at her with his mouth drawn open. He wanted to tell her that he loved her more than just a friend and that he was always going to be there for her but before he could get the words to finally form a sentence, Brennan had already taken off.

Booth raced down the stairs hoping that she hadn't already left. His palms felt sweaty and his legs felt numb. He had to stop her from leaving, he didn't care if he had to shoot her legs or knock her unconscious… he couldn't let her leave like that.

Once he burst through the apartment complex doors, he looked in every direction in search of her. He looked down at the road and saw her climbing into a car. Booth's mouth drew open as he stared in her direction.

Before she closed the door she glanced at Booth, hoping that she wasn't making a mistake. Booth watched as the silver Mercedes drove off. He couldn't believe she left like that. Was she really leaving or just going on a secret vocation? No-No, she would tell him where she was going if it were a vocation trip.

--------------

Booth busted the Jeffersonian doors open and quickly made his way to Angela's office. Right when he entered he opened his mouth but words couldn't form after looking into Angela's eyes.

Angela held her cell phone in her hand. Her expression was full of pain and sadness.

"Angela…" Booth breathed.

"I got a voicemail from Brennan." Angela gasped.

"What'd she say?" He asked, moving closer to her.

"She—she said that she was leaving." She started to cry. "She didn't say where."

Booth wrapped his arms around her hoping that this was all a dream. Angela didn't know what to think—her best friend left with out saying good-bye.

"I caught her leaving…" Booth silently said.

"Why didn't you stop her!?" Angela cried.

"I—I don't know why…" He looked down at her in sadness. "I'm sorry Angela."

"Why is she leaving? Why!?" Angela covered her hand with her mouth and broke away from Booth's protective arms. She looked up at Booth with so much pain that she couldn't stand to be in front of him. She left her office, leaving Booth standing there all alone.

Booth looked down at the floor and began to tighten his fists into balls. "Bones…" He silently whispered to himself.

--------------

"You sure you want to do this?"

Brennan tilted her head to look out the window. She heard him but she just didn't want to answer right away. When she saw the sign that said 'Now leaving Washington DC' she responded, "Yeah."

"You realize Booth is going to find out."

"You didn't have to do this for me in the first place, Jared." Brennan glanced over at him.

"Well I know but you are a friend and friends do stuff for each other." Jared responded, glancing back at her. "What do you want me to tell Booth if he finds out?"

"How will he find out?"

"Trust me Tempe, he has his ways." Jared smirked.

"Just drop me off where I told you to drop me off." She demanded.

"Sure." Jared nodded. "You know you're breaking his heart, right?"

"Who, Booth's?" Brennan asked.

"You're his partner and he wouldn't just let anyone that important leave his life." He told her.

"This was my decision… not his." Brennan rested her back into the seat.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"It's none of your business." She simply answered.

"Right…" Jared pressed his lips together.

A couple hours later, Jared pulled his Mercedes up to an apartment complex. Brennan looked out the window and saw one of the bellmen waiting for her. He opened her door and tipped his hat off to her.

"Welcome to the Sixth Street Apartment Complex. Apartment number and paper verification?" The bellman asked.

Brennan handed him a piece of paper and got out from the car. "Room twelve."

"Hey." Jared called to her. Brennan turned around and ducked to look at him. In his hand and in front of her was an ID card. "You wanted this?"

Brennan smiled and gently took it from his hand. "Thank you."

"I'm just trying to help you see what you can't see." Jared pressed his lips together.

"What?"

"You shouldn't do this Tempe." He tried to tell her.

"I just need some time alone… that's all."

"But is it all worth pushing my brother away?" Jared asked, staring in her eyes. He and Brennan had their eyes locked on each other for more than a minute; finally, Brennan spoke.

"I'll talk to you later."

"Right… Bye, Carrie." Jared watched as she closed the door. Brennan turned around to meet the bellman. He smiled at her and gave her the verification papers.

"Right this way Ms. Carrie Smith."

Brennan walked towards her new apartment gripping the duffle bag that rested on her shoulder her hand. "Booth…"

--------------

Booth sat there on the top platform of the Jeffersonian. His head was buried in his hands and tears resisted to run like a river. Cam walked over to him with her arms folded across her chest. She sat in the chair next to him and silently rubbed his back.

"Angela told me what happened. She and Hodgins are very upset." Cam said, watching Booth's emotions change.

"Aren't you upset, too?" Booth asked without looking at her.

"Of course. Dr. Brennan was like a sister to me, a very literal sister but nonetheless a sister." She pressed her lips together. "Angela told me that you let her slip by you."

"I was _right_ there Cam… _right _there. I was the only person capable of stopping her and my emotions just got the best of me." Booth sat up straight, trying to wipe away his tears.

"It isn't your fault, Booth."

"If it isn't then why did I let her walk off like that? I should've forced her into her apartment or something…"

"Did you ask why she was leaving?"

"Yes… she said it was none of my business." Booth shook his head. "She _is_ my business. Can't believe I acted so stupidly." His fists tightened.

"Punch it out all you want Booth, you know it isn't going to bring her back."

"I'm going to get every agent to search for her…" Booth silently told her. "I'm going to do everything it takes to get her back."

"What if she doesn't want to go back?" Cam asked, trying not to squeeze his heart even harder.

Without saying a word, Booth got up and quietly walked down the stairs. He didn't know the answer to her question… he didn't even want to think about the 'what if's'. He just wanted his partner back.

--------------

Several Months Later…

Brennan had jeans and a black T-shirt on. On her T-shirt was the symbol and trademark of her work place. She worked at a bar that seemed fairly popular. Not a lot of guys oogled the girls or slapped their butts, which was something most people liked.

"Carrie! Bring the glasses to the front!" Miranda yelled. Miranda was a blue eyed black haired girl with lots of talent. Her eyes were like Brennan's. She had a boyfriend that occasionally visited her at the bar.

"Kay!" Brennan shouted. She grabbed the case full of beverage glasses and hauled it to the front of the bar. She walked behind the bar and set the case down in the front shelf.

"Can you grab me some of the raspberry vodka?" Miranda asked.

"Sure." Brennan nodded and handed her the bottle.

"Thanks!" Miranda smiled as she gave the people at the bar a real show. She bounced the shakers on her elbows and twirled around to finish the show. She caught all four bottles and poured the contents into a glass. Everyone clapped as Miranda gave the glass to one of the customers. The guy gave her a few extra dollars for the performance and sipped the wonderful drink.

"Thank you, thank you." Miranda widened her smile and made her way to the back.

Brennan leaned against the wall in the back and silently glanced down at a picture of Booth. His smile, his soulful eyes and his muscular arms made her frown in sorrow.

"Boyfriend?" Miranda asked, sneaking up behind her.

Brennan jumped and gently smiled. "No… not a boyfriend." She began to lightly laugh.

"Husband?" Miranda breathed, grabbing a towel from her small locker.

"Haha, good one." Brennan glanced down at the picture again. "He's just a really good friend."

"Good friend? Your tone of voice tells me differently." She laughed.

"Five minutes Miranda and Carrie!" Joe yelled.

"Okay!" they both yelled back.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride home today?" Miranda began to wipe away the sweat from her forehead.

"I'm sure—I'm actually getting a ride from a friend." Brennan folded the picture and tucked it in her back pocket.

"Is it that cutie in the picture?" Miranda nudged her with her elbow. Brennan laughed and shooed her away.

"It's another friend, Miranda."

"Hah, okay, well, I hope I get to meet the picture guy _real_ soon." Miranda widened her smile and began to stride towards the bar.

"Yeah…" Brennan silently told herself.

Several hours later, Miranda and Brennan's shift ended. They walked out the front door with their work clothes in their hands. Brennan had the same pair of jeans but this time with a white blouse on. Miranda took her car keys out from her pocket and waved good-bye to her friend.

"See you tomorrow Carrie!" She shouted.

Brennan waved back with a smile. "Bye!"

Miranda climbed into her car and sped off while Brennan stood there waiting for her ride. Minutes later Jared pulled up from the side and stopped in front of her. Brennan walked around to the passenger side door and gently opened it.

She climbed in and laid her work clothes on her lap.

"How was work?" Jared asked, watching her close the door.

"It was okay." Brennan glanced over at him with a slight smile.

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat?" He asked.

"No thanks." She responded.

"Booth has been having agents sniff out your trail for some time now…"

"Surprised that they haven't found me?"

"Well considering that Director Cullen doesn't want most of his agents on a wild goose chase; it'd say they're doing a pretty good job."

"How close did they get?"

"Not very close." Jared tried to smile. "Booth's still looking for you though."

"And you're telling me this because…?"

"Because I know you still think of him. He won't stop until he finds you, you know?"

"I know…" Brennan silently whispered.

"Then why don't you stop his heart from breaking and just come out from hiding?"

"Because I'm not ready yet… look I just want a quiet ride to the apartment complex, so can we please stop talking about him?" Brennan glanced over at Jared.

Jared stared at her and quietly nodded. "Sure."

She looked out her window and watched as the stars floated to the top. The sky was so beautiful; it reminded her of all the times she and Booth went out to dinner together. The sky always sparkled as if fire works constantly went off and never faded away. She knew apart of her missed him; she just didn't want to admit it.

########################################################################

B&B

Two Days Later….

Booth threw a duffle bag in the trunk of his black SUV and abruptly closed the trunk. He went around his car and opened the driver side door. He climbed in and closed it, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

He drove his SUV out of the parking garage and out onto the open road. Several minutes later his cell phone ring. Desperately wondering if it was his partner, he scrambled in his car in search for it. He finally grabbed a hold of it but deeply frowned once he saw Cam's name blink on the caller ID.

He opened his phone and pressed it against his ear. "Booth."

"Booth, what the hell are you doing?" Cam angrily asked.

"I'm just going on a road trip. I'm not running away or anything." He responded.

"Just a road trip? Sure sounds like you're running."

"I'm not. I just need to get away to think about some things." Booth heavily sighed.

"Well to assure that I don't get the S.W.A.T team on your butt, call me every day or every other day, okay?" Cam crooked the side of her mouth.

"Okay—okay, I will." Booth nodded.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Booth looked on the road and felt his head spin. He blinked a couple times and felt the dizziness over take him. His grip on his cell phone loosened but as he regained his focus, he regained the grip.

"Booth?" Cam asked, wondering if everything was okay.

"What—yeah?" Booth shook his head and blinked a couple more times.

"I asked if you were doing this just to look for Dr. Brennan." She began to worry.

"I—I just need some time alone." Booth crooked the side of his mouth.

"Be careful out there, okay? I don't want to get a letter in the mail telling me that you died in a car accident."

"I'll be fine." Booth tried to reassure her.

"Take care of yourself… if you need anything, just call me."

"I know, Cam." He smiled.

"Call me later, okay?"

"Yeah… I will."

"Bye." Cam said, hoping for a safe return.

"Bye." Booth said back just before he hung up.

Cam looked down at her cell phone and gripped it tightly. She laid it on her desk and began to plop down in her chair. She heavily breathed and looked outside her office window. She saw Hodgins and Wendell silently working away. They were so quiet—with out Brennan or Booth, the atmosphere seemed to change drastically.

Once night time fell, Brennan was back on her shift with Miranda. Brennan never really liked the idea of pleasing the crowd with insane tricks and moves conducted through the law of physics involving metal cups and vodka bottles. It just wasn't her.

"Hey Carrie, we need more glasses!" Miranda called.

"Coming!" Brennan yelled. She heaved the case of glasses out to the front and did her normal routine.

"Can I have a Cazeric Cocktail on the rocks over here?" A man hollered.

Brennan gladly took the order since Miranda was busy with her performance. She walked over to the man and quietly made his drink.

"You're real quiet." The man smiled.

"I'm not as talented as Miranda—sorry if I'm disappointing you."

"Oh please, please, cocktails aren't meant to be turned into a performance." His spiked blonde hair was the first thing she noticed.

Brennan made eye contact with the blonde man and quietly returned the smile. "You know, last time I tried to do that bar routine, I almost broke a couple glasses."

"Talent doesn't come naturally, my dear." He laughed.

"Yeah…" Brennan smiled.

"So…" He read her name tag, "Carrie, is it?"

"Mhm." She hummed, putting the finishing touches on his cocktail.

"Is it okay if I grab your phone number?" He flashed a smile, one that didn't take her breathless… surely not Booth-worthy.

"I'm in a relationship actually." She lied.

"Oh." The man gasped. "Well I should've known a beautiful woman like you would be taken. Sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled.

Miranda poured the men's orders and glanced over at her best friend. She saw Brennan small talking with the blonde man and couldn't help but smile. She grabbed her tips and thanked the crowd before strolling to her friend.

"Thanks for the drink and the little chat." The blonde man smiled.

"Bye." Brennan lightly laughed.

Once the blonde man left the bar, Miranda couldn't help but poke and prod her. "So who was that?"

"Someone…"

"Did you give him your phone number?"

"No." Brennan smiled, bringing the glass to the back.

"What!? That's probably the one hundredth guy to hit on you this month!" Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Why, do you want me to give out my phone number?"

"Duh! Yes. Maybe you'll finally get over that picture guy." She raised her eyebrows, gently smiled and rested her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean get over? I never liked him that way in the beginning."

"Hey bartender! Can I get some service over here!?" A man shouted from the bar.

Miranda looked behind her and turned to her best friend. "Keep telling yourself that, honey." She walked through the door and helped the customers.

Brennan washed the glasses with water and began to scrub them with a soapy filled sponge. Once she was done she dried them with a towel. She loaded them up on the crates and carefully carried them to the front of the bar. She did this routine a couple times before taking a break to gaze at that same picture of Booth.

"Can I have a beer please?" Some asked, taking his seat on a bar stool.

"Sure thing." Miranda smiled and brought him an ice cold beer.

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows and could've sworn she heard his voice. She folded the picture, tucked it in her pocket and poked her head out. In front of her was Booth, he looked dead tired and very beat. Her jaw dropped as Miranda served him a beer.

Miranda furrowed her eyebrows down at Booth and began to tilt her head to the side.

"Is something wrong?" Booth asked.

"Oh no—no, I just… I think I've seen you before."

"I'm pretty new at this bar…" He responded with a slight smile.

"Uh huh… um I'll be right back." Miranda began to stroll towards the bag.

Brennan stood against the wall with her heart pounding against her chest. She looked at Miranda with worry washed all over her face. Miranda didn't even have to ask her…

"Oh my god! That _is_ him!" She exclaimed.

"Shh!! He might hear you." Brennan heavily sighed. "Why is he here?"

"What do you mean why is he here? I thought he was your friend." She rested her hands on her hip.

"Yes he is—but… I—I left him." Brennan confessed.

"So you _were_ going out with him, Carrie!" Miranda yelled.

"Shhh!!" Brennan shushed her. "I wasn't going out with him."

"Then what were you two? Best friends?"

"Yes…" Brennan nodded. "Can you try to rush him out of there?"

"I think you should confront him." Miranda sighed.

"Why!?"

"Because you obviously like him—look, just talk to him or something… At least let him know that you're still thinking of him."

"That would be very, very bad…" Brennan pressed her lips together. "Can you please try to get him out of there?"

"Fine… I'll try my best." Miranda gave up and made her way to the bar. She stood in front of Booth and propped her elbow on the counter.

He looked up at her with curiosity. "May I help you?"

"You seem like the type of guy who wants to talk." She smiled.

"I'm not really into a relationship at the moment if that's what you're wanting…" He scanned her, looking up and down.

"Neither am I. I have a boyfriend."

"Then why are you trying to strike up a conversation with me?" Booth raised his eyebrow, finishing his beer.

"Because you seem really down in the dumps."

"I really don't want to talk about it…" Booth looked down at his drink. "May I have another beer?"

"Sure." Miranda smiled, handing him another drink.

Booth downed half of the bottle and glanced up at her. She furrowed her eyebrows and slightly smiled.

"What?" He sternly asked her.

"Don't drink too fast—I don't want you to pass out."

"What makes you think I'm going to pass out?"

"Believe me. I've been working here for years. I know when someone's going to pass out." Miranda laughed.

"Look… I'm just trying to get over someone…" Booth started out.

"Really? What was she like?"

"She wasn't my girlfriend… she was just a really close friend." Booth drank the rest of his second beer. "Can I have another one?"

Miranda nodded and handed him one more. "Did you guys have an argument?"

Brennan watched from the back. "Miranda! What are you doing!?" She angrily whispered.

"I… I don't know what happened… she just took off without saying why." He drank most of his beer in two swigs.

"If you're so worried about her, how come you're trying to get over her?"

"I don't know… wishful thinking I guess. I figured if I got over her then she'd surprisingly appear right in front of me."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"Horribly." Booth tried to laugh. He took another sip of his beer. "I loved her so much… I just don't know what to do anymore. I've tried looking every where for her… I feel like such a failure."

"You aren't a failure." Miranda tried to comfort him. "In time, you'll find her. Trust me."

"Yeah…" Booth drank the rest of his third beer and handed it to her. Miranda grabbed the empty bottle and handed him another one.

Brennan stood there and quietly listened in on their conversation. The bar was about to close and no one but she, Miranda and Booth were there. Brennan held the towel in her hand with ever ounce of energy she had and quietly strolled out to the front bar.

Booth had his head down and quietly drowned in his sadness. "I feel so stupid for letting her go like that…"

Miranda glanced to the side and quietly smiled. She walked towards the back, giving her best friend the spotlight. Booth smirked, "Have you ever felt like you should've told someone how you _really_ felt about them but didn't have the courage to?" He looked up. Once he saw the brown long curls, nice warm smile and ocean blue eyes, his mouth immediately dropped.

"Yeah." Brennan responded.

Booth blinked and began to stare. "Bones…?"

"Hi…" She greeted him with another warm smile.

"Where—what…" Booth felt his mind spinning. He felt the pain throbbing in his head. He winced in pain and fell into darkness. He blacked out, fell off of his bar stool and onto the floor. Brennan, shocked and surprised, quickly ran to his side.

"Booth!" Brennan yelled.

Miranda rushed out from the back and looked at the unconscious cute man. "What happened?"

"I don't know—when he saw me, he just suddenly blacked out." Brennan kneeled next to him and touched his face. His face was burning up.

"Talk about love struck." Miranda joked.

"I think he's sick…" Brennan felt his forehead. It felt like a volcano.

"If he knew he was sick why would he drink four beers in less than an hour?" Miranda furrowed.

"I don't know. He probably didn't know he had a fever." Brennan tried to make Booth sit up.

"Want me to call 911?" Miranda asked with worry washed all over her face.

"Just help me get him in my car." Brennan panicked.

"You finally have a car?" Miranda tried to lighten the mood while swinging around the bar.

"Rental." Brennan responded, swinging one of Booth's arms over her shoulders.

########################################################################

B&B


	2. Chapter 2

His hands twitched and his eyes began to flutter open. Blurry at first but not until after he regained his focus did he see the white popcorn ceiling. He groaned and slowly started to sit up. His head throbbed in pain and the intense dizzy feeling was right by his side.

He thwacked his hand against his head in pain and began to wince. He felt a reassuring arm slowly pressure him back down. He looked up and saw Brennan standing beside him. He widened his eyes and quickly touched her arm to see if she was real. She was _definitely_ real.

"Bones… you're real—you're not a hallucination." Booth began to smile.

She smiled and forcefully made him lay back down. "And you're not dead, thank god."

"What happened? I remember I was at the bar and then suddenly you were there—"

"You blacked out." Brennan nodded.

"Blacked out?"

"You drank four beers in less than an hour and you had a very high fever." She told him, touching his forehead with her cool white hand. "Still the same…"

"How bad?" Booth frowned.

"Well, last time I checked you had a 101 degree fever and since you drank so much, you might be throwing up as well."

"So basically I got hit with a bulldozer." Booth winced, looking up at her.

"Yeah." She chuckled. "Something along those lines."

"And that girl that I was talking to—"

"Miranda?"

"Yeah… her." Booth looked down, observing the bed he was it. It was quite comfortable, it was a lot softer than his bed at home and the sheets were very comfortable against his skin—wait skin?

"She helped me get you to my apartment." Brennan said, walking to the nearby chair and preparing to fold some blankets.

"Did you… undress me?" Booth asked, lifting up the covers and gazing down at his own boxers.

"Yes, why?" Brennan patted the folded blanket.

"You don't just undress an unconscious man, Bones—" Booth winced in pain as the throbbing continued. "Ow…"

"I just thought you'd be more comfortable with your pants off. Considering how hot it could get around this season, it'd be very uncomfortable to have your legs start sweating." Brennan glanced at him with a smile.

"…I guess so…" Booth thought about it.

"Do you want Advil or Tylenol?" Brennan asked, walking towards the kitchen.

"Is there a difference?" Booth slightly smiled.

"Advil takes care of the headaches and aches in general. Tylenol takes care of the fever." She told him.

"Um… I'll take Advil."

Brennan took out a bottle of Advil from the medicine cabinet and then poured out two. "Do you want milk?"

"Yes, please." Booth licked his lips.

Brennan placed the two Advil on a napkin and then poured some milk inside a glass. She carried over the two into her bedroom and gently passed Booth the Advil. He took it and popped them in his mouth. Brennan then gave him the glass of milk and watched as he drank most of it.

"Do you want anything else?" She asked, taking the glass of milk from him. She placed it on the nightstand and began to rest her hands on her hip.

Booth looked up at her; he didn't have to say anything. She knew exactly want he wanted.

"Booth…" Brennan groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's been months, Bones, _months_. FBI wasn't able to track you down…" Booth watched her walk away. "Please, Bones…"

"I'm not ready to talk about it." She turned around to face him. "I know you want answers but even if I wanted to tell you, I wouldn't know how."

"How come?"

"It's complicated." Brennan slightly smiled.

"Try me." Booth smiled back.

Brennan lightly laughed and looked over at the digital clock sitting on the nightstand. "I have to go to work."

"Work? How long was I out?" Booth glanced over at the digital clock.

"Well after Miranda helped me get you into my apartment, we were a little worried since you blacked out. After half and hour you started talking in your sleep and then we stopped worrying." Brennan smiled. "You basically slept the whole night."

"Oh… So what'd I talk about?" He asked.

"I have to go." Brennan smirked, grabbing her things to leave. She took the phone out of its charger and placed it on the nightstand. "I'll be calling to check up on you."

"Can't you at least tell me what I said?" Booth whined.

"Try not to push yourself, okay?"

"Kay…" He felt his head throb again.

"There's also a bag near the nightstand, just in case if you need to—you know…" Brennan smiled.

Booth nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll be back in a couple hours. If you need anything, just call me." She said before walking out the door and closing it shut.

He sat there in the bed, observing the nice blankets and her room. The apartment wasn't as big as her other one at home but her room seemed very comfortable. The sheets, the pillows and the cool breeze that came from a nearby window—it was very relaxing.

His eyes slowly closed, wondering if he was trapped in a dream; he didn't want it to be a dream. Seeing his Bones—being able to touch her soft skin—it made him happy.

--------------

"So did you tell him what he said in his sleep?" Miranda asked. She and Brennan were in the back, washing the glasses and loading them in the crates.

"No…" Brennan smiled.

"I'm sure he'd want to know." Miranda smirked.

"I don't know…" Brennan loaded the dried glasses.

"C'mon Carrie, don't you think he'd want to know that he said he misses you?" Miranda scrubbed the glasses with a towel.

"He's a guy—If I told him, he'd never admit to it." Brennan smiled.

"You never know. A cutie like him—he seemed so honest when I talked to him. I can't believe you two never went out. You guys are like two characters in a romantic novel." Miranda widened her smile.

"Romantic novel?"

"Yeah—I read this one book and it involved bones and solving murders—but the characters in the book love each other so much and yet, they're clueless."

"What book is this?" Brennan asked, wondering if it was hers.

"I don't exactly remember the title but the characters were Kathy Reichs and Andy Lister." Miranda turned on the water and bathed the next batch of glasses.

Brennan loaded the second cart. "Booth and I are _not_ in love like that—"

"But you admit you're in love with him?"

"No—I never said that."

"Well he said it." Miranda told her.

Brennan didn't comment. She just stood there and continued to load the crates.

"You know he said it—you're just afraid to confront the feelings."

"I love him as a friend—not as—"

"Liar." Miranda devilishly smiled, cutting her off.

"I'm not lying—"

"You can't fool anyone." Miranda finished washing the last batch and helped Brennan load the rest of them. "We're almost done. You can go back to your hot guy after."

"He's not my hot guy—"

"But you admit he's hot." Miranda laughed.

"I hate it when you do that." Brennan shook her head and smiled.

"Tell your hunky hot guy I said hi, okay?" Miranda asked, carrying two crates to the front of the bar. Brennan stood there and shook her head. She hated it when people speculated about her relationship with Booth, especially when they're very convincing.

After work, Brennan picked up some Chinese take-out. She figured Booth would want some good old take-out but she forgot the memories it carried. While driving back to her apartment she occasionally glanced at the boxes of take-out, reminiscing about the good old days.

Once she walked inside, she saw Booth sitting on the couch, watching T.V. She smirked and quietly placed the bags of food on the counter.

"Couldn't stay in bed?" She asked, unloading the take-out.

"The game was on." Booth groaned, feeling his head throb.

"Did you remember to take at two Advil while I was gone?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I bought some take-out, you want some?" She asked, smashing the bag up into a ball.

"Just a little." Booth smiled. "Thanks, Bones, for taking care of me."

"I'm sure you would've done the same for me." She flashed a smile.

"I would've taken you to the hospital."

"I knew you hated hospitals—"

"I don't necessarily hate them… especially their pudding—so good." Booth smirked.

"Miranda gave me a recipe for pudding, want me to make it?" Brennan walked over to Booth and handed him one of the take-out boxes. She sat next to him and cracked open a pair of chopsticks. She handed them to him but his warm hand gently grazed over hers', making her pull back quickly. The chopsticks dropped to the floor and Brennan wasn't quite in the mood for heart throbbing moments.

"I'm sorry—" Booth locked eyes with her.

"It's okay. Have mine." Brennan smiled, giving him her pre-cracked pair. Once he took them she quietly got up and looked for another. After successfully finding one more, she proceeded to sit down next to him.

She watched the same hockey game that he was watching but little did she know, Booth wasn't really interested in the game anymore. He wanted answers but he didn't want to force them out of her.

After a half an hour, they both finished their Chinese take-out. Booth patted his stomach and tried to get up but Brennan forcefully pushed him back down.

"I thought I told you to take it easy." Brennan smirked, picking up both of their take-out boxes.

"I'm supposed to be the gentleman, Bones. You don't have to throw away my food for me…" He groaned.

"Don't worry about it, Booth." She told him, dumping the empty boxes inside the trash. She walked over to him and gently patted his shoulder. "C'mon, back to bed."

"Wha—Where are you going to sleep?" He asked, getting up slowly.

"Probably on the couch." Brennan guarded him with her hands, making sure that he wouldn't fall or hurt himself.

"Why don't you take the bed?" Booth stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around.

Brennan looked up at him, smiled and raised her eyebrows. "You're the one who's sick, Booth."

"It's your apartment, though."

"It's okay." Brennan shook her head. "It's best if you get the bed."

"But—I feel bad for making you sleep on the couch." Booth crooked the side of his mouth.

"Don't be."

"Why don't you sleep next to me—I mean, the bed _is_ big enough for the both of us."

Brennan was speechless—was he asking her to sleep in the same bed as him? "Booth…"

"Bones, you know I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch." He told her with a slight smile.

"But—"

"Okay then." Booth walked towards the couch but Brennan stopped him.

"Fine—fine, I'll sleep next to you." She rolled her eyes.

He extended his smile and gazed down at her. "That's my girl." He swallowed. "Um—I meant to say that in a less romantic way."

"Mhm." She hummed, making sure he got into bed. Booth climbed into bed, she handed him two Advil's and then gave him his glass of milk.

"More?" Booth groaned.

"Just take them." Brennan smiled. "Don't you want to get better?"

"If I get better… then it means I have to say good-bye." He popped the Advil in his mouth and sipped his milk. "I want to take you with me, Bones."

"I can't—"

"Why not?" He cut her off. "I'm your partner, you're supposed to tell me what's on your mind. I feel like the worst friend in the world—just letting you leave like that..."

"You're not the worst friend in the world, Booth."

"Then tell me why you left."

"It's—"

"I know—it's complicated." Booth nodded.

"I promise I'll tell you when I get the courage to." She smiled.

"Pinkie promise?" He smiled back, holding out his pinkie for her.

She gazed down at it and wrapped her pinkie around his. "Pinkie promise."

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B&B


	3. Chapter 3

Brennan came out from the bathroom with her hair straightened down. Booth glanced over at her and saw her plaid pajama bottoms and white tank top. She scratched the back of her head and noticed his gaze at her.

"What?" She asked, smiling in his direction.

"I've never seen you wear pajamas before." Booth smiled back.

"Probably because you've never gone to bed with me—and I meant that in a non-relationship way." She nervously looked away.

"What about that time we were all on lockdown at the Jeffersonian?" He asked, moving on his side to face her.

"I didn't have my pajamas with me that time." She responded, flipping the corner of the covers over.

"What about when—no… I got blown up." Booth furrowed his eyebrows. "Um…"

"We haven't slept under the same roof until now, Booth." She smirked.

"Hold on, I'm still thinking."

"Would you just get to bed? You need your rest anyways." She jumped inside the bed and pulled the covers over her. Her leg went a little too far into his side and felt his warm foot graze against hers.

She quickly retracted it and noticeably began to blush. "Sorry."

"I'm still thinking." Booth said slowly, gazing at her beautiful blue eyes.

"Get to bed." She nudged him and began to turn over on her side.

"Crazy adventure…" He smiled, looking up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" She curiously asked.

"You, running away, me, getting the FBI to chase after you. Months later, I decide to go on a road trip to 'find myself' and all of a sudden, I get sick, get drunk, finally find you and pass out. And now I'm sick in _your_ bed, sleeping next to you." He lightly laughed.

Brennan turned over on her other side to face him. Booth turned his head to gaze at her but found himself admiring how silky and smooth her auburn hair was.

"Why aren't you letting me leave, Booth?" She asked.

"Because you're my partner."

"That's an overused and vague answer."

"You've been a part of my life for over four years." He started out. "We've faced death together and have caught more bad guys then any other pair. We've both learned about each other's past and childhood… I just thought that if you left my life then I'd probably never see you again."

"So you want to see me?" Brennan raised an eyebrow.

"I want to be with you." He told her.

She furrowed her eyebrows, making Booth widen his in surprise. "Be with me—?"

"I didn't mean it in _that_ way—what I meant was—"

"I want to be with you too." She smiled.

"You do?" His mouth drew open in speechlessness. "In what way?"

"I asked myself, if you decided to leave what would I do and how would I feel?" She took a deep breath. "I would want to chase after you and I'd feel like apart of my life was erased if you left."

"Really?" He asked, staring at his breathtaking partner.

"Yes." Brennan nodded. "I love you, in a partner and best friend way."

"I love you, too." He smiled. "—in a partner and best friend way, of course."

"You should get some rest." She said before turning to sleep on her other side.

"Night, Bones." He breathed.

"Good-night, Booth." She softly said. "Booth?"

"Hm?"

"Do you snore?"

"Parker never mentioned anything..."

"Oh…"

"Have you slept with a guy that snored?" He asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yes." She smirked.

"How'd that turn out?" He started to smile.

"I accidentally kicked him off the bed."

Booth started to laugh. "Gosh, Bones."

"He was very loud, Booth." She told him. "You'd accidentally kick him off the bed, too, if you were in my position."

"Girls don't snore."

"Some do."

"Do you snore?"

"Nope." Brennan flipped over to face him. He gazed at her and smiled.

"Prolonging the conversation?" He asked.

"What—I am not. You're the one that reprimanded me for _accidentally_ kicking someone off the bed for snoring. You could've dropped it right there."

"I've slept too much today anyways. Like silence will make me sleep…" He looked away, trying not to invade her space.

"Do you want me to stay up with you?"

"No." He looked at her. "You have work tomorrow, don't you?"

"Day after tomorrow." She corrected him.

"Why do you work at a bar?" Booth furrowed his eyebrows. "Of all the jobs I'd think you'd work at, you get one at a bar…"

"If I worked in my field then it'd be obvious who I really am but at the bar—"

"You're just another woman trying to make money, right, Carrie?" He smiled.

"So you knew I temporarily changed my name?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I _might_ have secretly gone through your stuff when you weren't here." He admitted.

"Ugh, Booth! Why'd you do that!?" She wanted to hit him but restrained herself when she saw his innocent and polite facial expression.

"Mainly because Jared tipped my off a month ago."

"Jared?" Brennan's mouth drew open. 'Jared, you sneaky little—!' She thought as she balled her fists up.

"He told me that you temporarily changed your name, that's all."

"So he didn't tell you where I was or—"

"No." Booth shook his head. "If he did I would have already dragged you back home."

"True…" Brennan rested her head on her pillow.

"You should go to bed, don't stay up for my sake." He lightly laughed.

"It's okay." She wanted to grab his hand and fall asleep, knowing that he back by her side. "Talking might be good."

"Make up for the last few months?" His lips formed a small smile.

"Yeah."

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked her, feeling his heart beat faster.

"Is everyone still working at the Jeffersonian Institute?" She looked up at him.

He nodded and sighed. "Everyone's still working there but they're all anxiously waiting for your return."

"How were the cases?"

"Boring… without you."

"What about—"

"The tone of the work environment drastically changed when you left, Bones. Hodgins hasn't done an experiment in a long time and Angela hasn't made a sexual reference in weeks. Cam doesn't mind about the PDA anymore..." Booth trailed off, indicating that he could go on and on.

"That bad?" Brennan joked.

"They all miss you, a lot." He told her.

"How can I go back after I left, thinking that I would start my life over?"

"You don't have to go back to your old life, you just have to trust your heart and your friends. They'll welcome you back, they'll hug the genius out of you and they'll make sure you never leave again but they would never, ever push you away. Friends are always there for you." He smiled. "I'll always be here for you."

"Until you die." She raised her eyebrows.

"Well—until then, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right by your side." He promised her.

"I guess… I should tell you… why I left." She breathed heavily before glancing back up at him.

"I won't judge you." He tried to reassure her.

"I left because…" Brennan looked down and sighed. "…I got a letter in the mail."

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B&B


	4. Chapter 4

"A letter?" Booth asked, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

Brennan nodded and began to heavily breathe. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to show him sadness and she definitely didn't want to push him away, again. "In the letter was…"

She didn't say anything. Booth's eyes trailed down her body, watching her breathing patterns very carefully. "Was…?"

She didn't even make eye contact with him. "You remember when I told you that my father and brother went to Michigan to visit a friend of theirs, right?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You told me they were going to be there for a couple days."

"In the letter it said that they… they were murdered." Brennan finally looked up at him with those innocent and caring eyes.

"Bones…" He whispered. "I'm so sorry…you ran away because of that?"

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't want my friends to always be there for me. I wanted to cry on my own shoulder, not someone else's. I wanted to take care of it myself." She explained to him.

"So you decided to run away…" He gave an understanding nod. "It's okay to run away from certain things, Bones. Angela does it, I do it… you just have to not physically run away. You could've told me that you wanted some space."

"You would've never let me have some 'space'." She looked down.

"Yes I would've… if you convinced me…" He began to smile.

"Are you going to drag me back to the Jeffersonian, now that you know?"

"Nope."

"No?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought an alpha male like you would purposefully drag me back in order for me to adapt to the new feelings."

"I'm not that kind of alpha male, Bones. You wanted to handle it on your own so I'll let you." He flashed a reassuring smile.

"Really?" Brennan couldn't believe it. After all the years they've been partners, he's never let her go like that.

He nodded. "It's your life, not mine."

"Thank you, Booth." She smiled, her heart warmed up and just the sound of his voice made her want to cry in tears of joy. He smiled back and watched as she flipped over to her other side.

She closed her eyes, feeling like she had just gotten something very big off her chest. She felt relieved and loved. Brennan was very glad she had a friend and partner like Booth. Everything seemed simpler when he was around. It made her wonder what her true feelings for him were.

She was about to fell into a deep sleep until she felt an arm wrap around her waist. The arm pulled her in and as she opened her eyes in surprise, she felt her back press against Booth's chest.

His head rested against her shoulder blade and his arm lightly rubbed her stomach. Her hand slowly traveled to his, their touching hands produced a rather shocking reaction. Neither of them moved away or thought they were too close for comfort. Brennan simply laid there in his arms.

"I'll always be here for you." He whispered.

Brennan smiled and began to close her eyes, knowing that strong protective arms were wrapped around her.

--------------

"Wow!" Miranda exclaimed, staring at Brennan while she wiped the counter.

"What?"

"He wrapped his arm around you!?"

"It was in a protective and totally friendly way. It wasn't implying that we take our relationship to the next level." Brennan shook her head in denial.

"He had his arm around you, you two slept in the same bed—"

"I had no choice. He made me sleep with him."

"Okay, tell me why you two aren't dating again?" Miranda smirked.

"I told him that I would sleep on the couch but he refused to let my back suffer. So it was either me in the bed, him on the couch or both of us in the bed or the couch. I figured that the couch wouldn't be able to fit the both of us so I agreed to the bed." Brennan looked over at Miranda and found her trying to hold back a squeal. "If you were in my position, you would do the same thing."

"No, If I were in your position, I would've jumped the hot guy." Miranda widened her smile.

"I don't see what's so romantic about us…" Brennan groaned.

"That's because you're not seeing it in my point of view. If you two were in a TV Show or some kind of romantic chick flick movie, you'd be screaming for them to have sex, too." Miranda nodded at her.

"Miranda, we're just friends. I told you this."

"You're not fooling me, Carrie. I know you two aren't _just_ friends."

"Prove to me that we aren't _just_ friends." Brennan placed her hands on her hip.

"Really?"

"Yes. Prove to me that we're main characters falling into a romantic abyss full of roses and wedding bells." Brennan exaggerated.

"What do I get in return?"

"I'll do what ever you want."

"Oh my gosh, really!?" Miranda practically jumped up and down.

"Yes." Brennan nodded back.

"Okay, if I get proof, you have to kiss him."

"Deal."

"Not just a regular kiss on the cheek or on both sides. A full blown make-out session." Miranda squealed.

"What?!"

"You said anything, Carrie."

Brennan pressed her lips together and nodded. "Fine…"

"Spit hand shake on it?" Miranda held out her hand.

Brennan smiled and spit in her hand. Miranda did the same and they both hold out their hands. They shook hands, wiped the spit on their other arm and shook-switched hands.

"If you back out you have to have sex with him—"

"Miranda!" Brennan scolded her.

"Haha!" Miranda laughed and ran off into the back. Brennan looked in her direction and silently shook her head.

--------------

Jared opened the front door and shook the bag of food in his hand. "Tempe, I've got that pudding that you wanted." He placed the key on the counter and then the bag. He looked over on the couch and saw Booth sitting there, watching something on TV.

"Oh, hey." Jared greeted him.

"Hi." Booth glanced up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Tempe asked for some pudding." He nervously nodded.

"Oh." Booth nodded too.

"She probably got it for you." Jared looked back at the brown paper bag he had brought in.

"Mm." Booth hummed.

"So are you really sick or just faking it to get in her pants?" Jared tried not to laugh but his smile was already there.

Booth got up but the head rush and dizziness made him wobble. He sat back down, wincing in pain, and began to hold his head. "You're lucky I'm actually sick or I would've hit you already."

"Yup, I'm lucky like that." Jared nodded. "Tell Tempe I stopped by, okay?"

"Yeah…" Booth said, looking down. "Jared."

"Hm?" Jared asked, walking back to his brother.

"Do you think Bones will come back?" He asked his brother. An honest question should get an honest answer.

"What do you think?" Jared asked with a smug smile on his face.

"I asked you first."

"Knowing that you'll be there for her, I think she will." Jared nodded.

"What do you mean 'knowing that you'll be there for her'? It's Bones' decision. She's not basing it on me—"

"Oh contraire big brother, you're all that she sees in the future." Jared flashed a reassuring smile. "I should go before I get fired."

"Where are you working at now?" Booth asked.

"Somewhere not related to the military." Jared responded with a light chuckle before exiting through the front door.

Booth sat there and quietly glanced over at the brown bag of pudding cups. He slowly made his way over. He unpacked the paper bag and saw six pudding cups. He slowly walked over to the utensils, trying not to collapse again, and picked out a spoon. He carried four of the six pudding cups over to the couch and gobbled them up.

--------------

Brennan opened the front door and walked inside her apartment. She looked on the couch and saw Booth watching TV. She smiled and saw the brown paper bag on the counter.

"Jared came by." Booth breathed.

"Oh, I hope you two didn't get in a fight or something." She joked, placing her bag and work clothes on the counter.

"I would've hit him if I weren't sick…" He looked over at her. "How was work?"

"It was good." She nodded and thought, 'Except for the fact that I have to have sex with you if I back out of Miranda's bet.'

"That's good." He nodded, feeling a little groggy.

"I'm guessing you already ate the pudding I asked Jared to get." She looked inside the empty bag.

"Yeah… thanks Bones."

"Don't thank me, Jared was the one who got you them." She turned around and smiled at her partner.

"Why'd you ask him to get me pudding?"

"Because you usually like eating pudding when you're sick." She said, walking over to join him on the couch.

"You didn't have to." He watched as his partner sat next to him.

"It's okay, I wasn't the one who had to ask the hospital for some." She smirked.

"You made Jared do that?" He tried not to laugh.

"Maybe." She smiled. "Did you take some Advil today?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I took two after you left and two more at 10."

"It's almost midnight, so you should be good for now." She patted his leg and was about to get up but he pulled her back down. She furrowed her eyebrows at him, wondering what he was doing.

"Booth—"

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Of course I'm okay." She was still curious.

"Not physically, I mean mentally… about Max and Russ." He pressed his lips together.

"I'm okay." She slowly nodded. "I'm just trying to adjust, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah…" Booth breathed. "…I'm starting to feel better."

"Are you going to leave once you're healthy again?" Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Do you want me to go with you?" She asked, trying to find the answer through his brown chocolate eyes.

"Yes, but I can't force you to. It's your decision, Bones." He told her, trying not to fall asleep.

"Do you think I will?" She asked with a frown. She was curious to what he thought even though she wasn't sure herself. She wanted to go back home, she wanted to go back to her job and she wanted to be Booth's partner again but she was afraid.

"Yeah, I think you will." He nodded.

Her lips formed a smile, a small smile worth a thousand words. She slightly nodded and placed her hand in his. His hands were warm and very sweaty. Was he nervous?

"Tired?" She asked him.

"Just a little." He chuckled.

--------------

"He was nervous?" Miranda asked, folding the cloths.

"His palms were sweaty." Brennan told her friend while folding the cloths along side her.

"Aw, he was nervous." She laughed.

"I never said he was." Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I think I finally found proof that he likes you." Miranda said with a smug smile.

"Really?" Brennan asked with a surprised tone.

"Well, for one thing, friends don't sleep in the same bed and they don't especially sleep in each other's arms."

"He was trying to comfort me, Miranda." Brennan tried to tell her.

"Sure, sure, you say that now, Carrie, but later on, you'll see what I mean." Miranda pumped an eyebrow.

"Okay… go on."

"When you look in his eyes try to look at the picture."

"What picture?"

"You'll see." Miranda teased.

"Okay…" Brennan furrowed her eyebrows and began folding the rest of the cloths.

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B&B


	5. Chapter 5

Brennan walked through the front door and began to yawn. She fluttered her eyes open. She expected to see a big figure on the couch watching TV but he wasn't there. The last pudding cup inside the fridge was still there too. Brennan, thinking that Booth was sound asleep, went inside the fridge to get a nice cold soda. She took a can out, opened it and sipped. She smiled, feeling the soda tingle against her throat, and gently placed it back inside the fridge.

She turned around and right in front of her was Booth. With cat like reflexes, she punched him in the face. Once she realized it was Booth she quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.

"OW!" Booth screamed in pain. "Jeeze, Bones, what was that for?" He covered his face and looked away.

"Oh god, Booth!" She gasped. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He groaned. "God, Bones. Did you _have_ to hit me?"

"You're the one who surprised me!" She told him. She walked towards him, wondering if he was okay.

"Ow…" He groaned again, still holding his face with his hands.

"If you didn't sneak up on me like that, I would've never hit you." She tried to see if there was blood.

"Bones—maybe in the future, we should really work on your reflexes." Booth took his hands away from his face and saw no blood but his cheek was throbbing like hell.

Brennan placed her hands on his face and checked for possible bruising. "What do you mean? Are you telling me that my reflexes are too quick?"

"No." He protested. "I'm saying your reflexes are too slow. If you did have cat like reflexes, your fist would've stopped in front of my face."

"Oh." She nodded and looked into his eyes to see if he was okay. She decided to take the eye contact was an opportunity. She stared deeply into his chocolate brown eyes, searching for the picture that Miranda was talking about.

Booth furrowed his eyebrows and slowly looked down at her hands that were still on her face. He gently grabbed her wrists and proceeded to pull them down. He stared back at her in curiosity.

"Bones, are you okay?" He asked, wanting to wave his hand in her face. "Bones—?"

"Wait, Booth." She shushed him.

"Wait for what?" He asked.

Brennan stared deeply into his eyes, still wanting answers. His hands held her wrists and just the contact of their skin made their hearts instantly beat faster. He looked at her, making his mouth draw open in reaction to her beauty. Even after work she was still a breathtaking sight.

"Oh my god." Brennan gasped.

"What?" Booth asked, letting go of her wrists.

Her mouth drew open in surprise. She saw it, she saw the picture. It was a vivid picture and she saw it! _What ever you do don't run away!_ "I saw it…" She breathed.

"Saw what?" He curiously asked. "Is there something in my teeth?" He rubbed his finger against his teeth, checking for any left over food.

"Uh…" She nervously said, "It's nothing—just forget about it." She chuckled.

"What?" He asked again.

"Nothing—it was nothing!" She shrieked. "You must be tired—"

"Actually I just woke up. I'm not that… tired…" He tried to read her thoughts.

"Well I'm tired." She moved away from him. Booth furrowed his eyebrows and turned around to watch her stroll into her bedroom. "You don't mind if I go to bed, do you?"

"No…" He still was confused. "…It's your apartment after all."

"Okay." She tried to sound casual. "Did you take your Advil?"

"Yeah…" Booth walked towards the bedroom just to block the doorway. He gazed at Brennan as she slipped on a white tank top. He crooked the side of his mouth and watched as she climbed into bed.

"Bones—"

"Night Booth." She breathed before silently falling asleep. He stood there at the threshold and quietly nodded.

"Night..." His lips formed a small smile before climbing into bed with her. He turned off the lamp and gazed at the sleepy figure beside him. He couldn't help but give her a good night kiss on the cheek.

--------------

Brennan entered the bar and walked around the counter and towards the back. She placed her bag inside her locker and closed it shut. She casually patted her shirt with her hands in hopes of getting some lint off. She looked up and saw Miranda staring right at her.

"When did you get here?" Brennan asked.

"Just now." Miranda smiled and made her way over to her locker.

"Oh…"

"So did you get to look in your 'friends' eyes?" Miranda teased.

"Yes… right after I hit him in the face…" She said with a guilty tone.

"You hit him!?" Miranda exclaimed. "What in the world do you two do at night?"

"I entered my apartment, drank some soda, closed the fridge and turned around, BOOM, he was right there in front of me. My instincts told me to hit him… and… so I did…" She explained to her.

"Aw, poor guy." Miranda cried. "You should've at least kissed his boo-boo or something."

"I awkwardly stared into his eyes right after." Brennan slightly smiled.

"Did you see anything?"

"Yes…" Brennan nodded.

"Did you kiss him?" She slowly got excited. Brennan thought of Miranda as another Angela. She reminded her so much of her best friend. All of the squealing, readable secrets and girl talk – it reminded her of home…home with Hodgins, Cam, Angela… and Booth. She missed them so much.

"Nope." Brennan answered.

"What?!" Miranda exclaimed. "Why not! You said you'd kiss him—"

"I should have… but I ran away."

"You ran away?"

"I kind of did. I ran into my room and told him I was going to bed." Brennan frowned and prepared to look away. She walked towards the front and got to work. Miranda was right behind her, telling her she was dumb to say such a thing.

"You don't just stare into a hot guy's eyes, completely kill the romantic moment and announce that you're ultimately going to bed." Miranda told her.

"I didn't know what to do." Brennan confessed. "It was either take the plunge or make up an excuse. I already hit him in the face, so I decided to not mess with his feelings. Going to bed was the only option, anyways."

"Since you didn't kiss him, I think that counts as a back out." Miranda smirked.

"What!?" Brennan shrieked. "That does not count as a back out!"

"Yes it does which means, you have to have sex with him!" Miranda laughed. "I can't wait till you two—"

"Miranda, I doubt I could make the guy climb into sex just like that." Brennan snapped her fingers.

"You never know." Miranda joked.

"What about your boyfriend?"

"What about him?"

"How come I've never met him – and how come we never talk about him?" Brennan asked.

"Probably because he hasn't come in here with a fever, reluctantly drink four beers and collapse." Miranda said with a slight smile.

"What's his name?"

"Brad." Miranda's smile grew.

"Is he cute?"

"He's very handsome."

"What does he do?"

"He's a computer geek. He works in some high tech area." Miranda responded, wiping the counter with a damp towel. "Say, where does your hot friend do?"

"He's an FBI agent." Brennan told her but quickly widened her eyes. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone that. She hasn't even told Miranda what her real name was. This was bad.

"Whoa? An FBI Agent?" Miranda widened her eyes. "That's really hot."

"Heh, yeah…" Brennan slightly smiled.

"So are you going to kiss him tonight?" Miranda turned around to check the vodka bottles.

"Do I have to?"

"We made a bet, Carrie." Miranda smiled. "I prove you two should be smacking bodies and you give him a kiss."

"Can I just give him a kiss on the cheek?" Brennan pleaded.

"No." Miranda laughed. "A real kiss, on the lips, no holding back."

"What if he doesn't kiss back or what if he pushes me away?" Brennan sighed.

"A guy like him, are you serious? Have you not seen those big brown puppy dog eyes of his?" Miranda smirked.

"Trust me, I've seen them." Brennan widened her smile.

--------------

Brennan's work clothes were in her hands. She walked up the stairs and to her apartment. She reached for the door knob and rattled it a little. Seeing how it was locked, she reached inside her bag for the keys. It took her minutes to find the darn things in her jungle-like purse. She yanked out her keys and inserted them into the key hole. She unlocked the door, tucked her keys back into her purse and twisted the doorknob. She opened the door and saw Booth right in front of her, literally right in front of her. She almost came to the hitting-in-the-face reflex but she quickly evaded that solution.

"Oh my god, Booth!" She shrieked, clasping her hand over her chest.

"Sorry." He innocently apologized.

"You realize I could've punched you, _again_!?" She exclaimed, still keeping her heart from popping out.

"I said I was sorry." He watched as she brushed past him. He closed the door behind her and turned around to follow her.

"First you get sick, then you drink too much, _then_ you collapse and _then_ I punched you in the face…" She heavily sighed.

"Sorry." He apologized again, following her to the kitchen.

Brennan glanced at her and slightly furrowed her eyebrows in relief. "Well at least I didn't break your nose."

"Yeah…" Booth slightly smiled, leaning over the counter.

"You seem better." She noticed. "You're walking around a lot."

"When I heard the doorknob rattle, I walked over to open it but seems like your keys beat me to it." He smiled candidly.

Brennan took a bottle of water out from the fridge and placed her work clothes on the counter. She opened the bottle and took a sip. She screwed the cap back on and leaned on the counter. Something was obviously on her mind. It didn't take Booth more than a second to notice.

"You okay?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah…" She breathed.

"Want some soup?" He asked, looking over at the pantry.

"It's okay, Booth. I already ate." She smiled.

"Oh." He nodded. "Do you want to talk… about Max and Russ?" He wanted to gently touch the subject without making her run away, _again_, or just completely leave him forever. He watched as she heavily sighed. "It's okay if you don't."

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked, trying not to glance at him.

"What do you _want_ to do?" He asked back. His palms began to sweat. Was he getting nervous or did he just want to hug her problems away?

"I want them back." Brennan confessed. "I can't believe they're even gone…" She buried her head in her hands. Booth walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She turned to face him and quietly moved in closer. Her covered face pressed against his warm cotton protected chest. Her hands never left her face. He wrapped his arms around her and gently but quietly calmed her down.

"It's okay, Bones." He told her. "I'm right here."

She didn't cry, she just felt depressed, after all, she never got the chance to properly say good-bye to them. She didn't go to the funeral and she hardly even knew where they were buried.

"I never even told them how much I loved them… how much they meant to me." She cried.

"They always knew you loved them." He responded, gently rubbing her back with his hand.

"How do you know…?" She slowly pulled away just to stare up at him.

"They knew that look you always gave them." He smiled.

"What look?"

"The loving look." He responded. "You saved them from being pressed with murder charges. You set them both free and you cleared their name. They knew how much they meant to you because you never stopped loving them."

She chuckled and tried not to smile. "I never even told them—"

"You can always tell them, Bones, anytime and anywhere." He glanced up. She looked up right after him, knowing what he meant.

"They're always watching over me?" She asked him.

"Of course." He nodded. "Sure they left you but it doesn't mean they abandoned you again. They're not the only family you have and they knew that." Booth's smile widened. "You have me…and the rest of the squint squad."

Brennan began to smile. "Thanks, Booth."

"We're partners Bones, I'll always be here for you." He told her in the sweetest voice know to man. She widened her smile and stared up at him.

The corners of her mouth began to sag down. She frowned up at him and watched as his smile disappeared. She leaned in and gently tugged on his white t-shirt and proceeded to warp her arms around his waist. He watched as she leaned forward, her breath as warm as a fireplace and her lips juicy like candy. He looked down at her lips and swallowed. _What is she doing…?_

He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against hers. The heat from that single brush made sparks fly. They didn't want a hot, passionate kiss. They both wanted a gentle, hart warming kiss on the lips—nothing that would stir up sexual intercourse—but one that would make them want more.

They kissed. Her mouth sucked on his top lip while his sucked on her bottom lip. It felt like eternity once they swapped saliva. She felt his arms wrap around her and touch her back. Just the feeling of his protective arms wrapping around her made her blush. She began to kiss his bottom lip and vise-versa. They wanted more, much more – but Brennan had to stop before something bad began to happen. _Please don't stop_.

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B&B


	6. Chapter 6

Brennan felt Booth's hand slowly snake up her shirt. Once the thought occurred to her, she had to pull away. _We can't do this_. Brennan slid her arms up and gently placed them on his chest. She pushed him and slowly backed up.

"Booth—" She breathed. "I'm sorry…"

"Bones…" He gasped.

"I'm sorry I did that." She couldn't even make eye contact with him.

"Why did you do it in the first place?"

"I don't know, Booth. You were there for me and I—I took advantage of you." She shook her head in disbelief. "I should go." She tried to walk towards the door but someone stood in her way.

Booth looked down at her and gently touched her shoulders. Just the feeling of his fingers touching her clothes made her swiftly back away. His mouth gaped in sorrow.

"Bones, you just got back from work." He told her.

"Angela told me to back away from a conversation that you don't want to have with a person." Brennan glanced up at him but immediately looked away. "I'm trying to do that, Booth."

"Stay." He said, walking towards her. Brennan sighed and pressed her lips together. Water formed in her eyes but she never shed a tear. She walked towards the couch and took a seat. Booth walked towards her and sat down. She scooted away to the edge of her side, wondering the worst.

Booth leaned forward and propped his elbows on his legs. He looked at her, trying to read her thoughts and emotions; all he could see was sadness and worry.

"Why did you kiss me?" He asked abruptly. Brennan didn't look at him, instead she buried her face in her hands.

"I don't know— you got closer and—"

"And you felt like you should've kissed me?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Booth, can you stop asking me questions?" She rubbed her forehead.

"I only asked you three questions, Bones." He told her.

"Three too much…" Brennan whispered.

"What?" Booth furrowed his eyebrows again.

"I should do something to take my mind off of—that thing with the—off of the thing that just happened!" She shrieked, preparing to get up.

"You mean us kissing?" Booth reminded her.

"If you keep on mentioning it, I won't be able to forget." She told him, standing up and walking towards the door. He grabbed her shoulders, halting her near the couch.

"You _want_ to forget it?" He innocently asked her.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Was it that bad—?"

"Booth, that kiss could damage our professional work life."

"Do _you_ think it _will_?" He asked her, his hands, sliding down from her shoulders.

She turned around and faced him. Her deep blue eyes looked into his chocolate brown ones. She didn't smile nor did she start to cry. Brennan knew she had to chose her words carefully or else she'd probably end up ruining their partnership or even worse, their friendship.

"Yes, I do, that is, if we went farther." She folded her arms across her chest.

"But we didn't go any farther which means—"

"We kissed, Booth. I don't know how I'm feeling right now or why I even went through with the bet." She looked away, turning around, preparing to bolt to the door.

In gloom, he looked down but suddenly began to furrow his eyebrows. "Bet? What bet?"

Brennan widened her eyes and mentally slapped herself one hundred times over. She closed her eyes, wishing she had never slipped those words out of her mouth. "It's nothing, Booth." She turned around to face him.

"No—Bones." He shook his head. He couldn't believe she was playing games with him. "What'd you bet on?"

"Booth—"

"Did you bet on how long you could kiss me?" He sternly looked at her. "How long it would take you to realize how wrong it was?"

"No – I would never—"

"How easy I was?" He practically yelled.

"I would never do that Booth." She told him, waiting for his reaction. "You know I would _never_ do that to my friends, especially you."

"I really don't know what to think anymore." He said softly. He looked away and placed his arms on his hips.

"Miranda told me – she made a bet with me." She started out, looking up at him. Once Booth locked eyes with her, she began again. "She made a bet with me; if she proved that _we_… that _we_ were emotionally attached… or if some spark were there…"

He pressed his lips together and drew a small sigh. _What is she talking about? Is she saying…?_

"…then I'd have to kiss you." Brennan finally gasped.

Booth widened his eyes and looked at her. "Bones—" He looked down at her and narrowed his eyes in apology. "I—"

"I'll be back later." She announced, walking to the door. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her towards him. She looked up at him in confusion.

"I'm sorry…" He apologized. "…stay—"

"I'll be back." She told him, gazing into his warm chocolate pooled eyes. "I promise." Booth looked at her with doubtful eyes and watched as the door closed in his face. Brennan stood outside and quietly leaned against the door. Booth stood in front of the door and slowly closed his eyes in sorrow.

Brennan looked down at her feet, reminiscing about their little kiss—little? It sure as hell wasn't little. It was big, really big!

She gathered her emotions and walked down the stairs, heading straight for her car. Booth pressed his lips together and forcefully slammed his hand against the wall. It didn't make a dent but it sure made him feel better. He laid both of his hands against the wall and leaned, pressing his forehead against it. He closed his eyes again, running the mind stream of vivid images of their kiss in his head.

--------------

"You seriously want my opinion on what _you_ should do?" Jared asked, sipping some of his beer. He sat in a bar, Brennan sat on the stool next to him. The place wasn't that crowded and Jared didn't look like he wanted to pick up girls there. He looked like he was just trying to blow some stress off. He raised his eyebrow and watched as Brennan nodded.

"We kissed and I—I just don't know what to do." She told him.

"We kissed and you didn't go running off." Jared slightly smiled.

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You obviously think Booth is important in your life. You're going insane over one simple kiss while you did nothing when I made my move."

"I smiled…" She told him.

"That's just a smile. Running away to find answers and a smile are two very different responses." Jared sipped his beer again.

"Look, if you aren't going to help me then I'll just go see Miranda." Brennan heavily sighed.

"You _really_ want my opinion?" Jared raised his eyebrow again.

"Yes." Brennan nodded. "I can fully comprehend any suggestions you have."

"I think you should go back and pretend it never happened." He told her, drinking his beer.

"Okay, that was a _really_ bad suggestion." Brennan crooked the side of her mouth. "How can I take that into consideration when I can still taste him in my mouth?"

"Okay—that was a very surreal, what you just said right there. Please don't ever say that again. The last thing I want to hear from a chick is how good my brother was in bed or how good of a kisser he is." Jared pointed his index finger at her.

"Yes, he is a good kisser." Brennan nodded.

Jared stared at her, giving her this are-you-kidding-me look. He heavily sighed and shook his head. "Look, do you want my help or not?"

"So far, your help isn't really… helping." She told him.

"Jeeze, Tempe. Are you trying to make me angry?" Jared asked her sternly.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Go on."

"Look, it's obvious that you have an emotional attachment to Booth—"

"Now you sound like Sweets." Brennan cut him off.

"—And yet you can't see it either…" Jared heavily sighed, covering his face with his hand.

"That I have an emotional attachment to Booth?"

"You're not seeing what everyone else is seeing."

"That… I have… an emotional… attachment to Booth…"

"No." He said, turning to face her. "You don't see that you and Booth love each other. You both are oblivious which is a very big surprise considering the fact that you have Angela, Cam and a shrink." Jared looked up, raising in eyebrow.

Brennan chuckled. "Booth and I?"

Jared nodded.

"In love?" She asked again, raising her own eyebrow.

Jared nodded once more.

"That's impossible." She sarcastically laughed.

"Then why did you come all the way here to meet with me just for some advice on my brother?" He smiled at her, wondering if she was catching on.

Brennan's mouth drew open. She closed it quickly and silently nodded. "I'll talk to you later… thanks… I think." She darted out of the bar and towards the parking lot.

Jared faced the bartender and looked in his beet bottle. He shook his head and smirked. "Now I know how Angela feels."

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B&B


	7. Chapter 7

Booth sat on a stool in front of the kitchen table and propped his forearms on it. He buried his face in his hands and slid them down regretfully. He sat there and waited for her. He had to make sure she was going to come back. He was very tired, his eyelids were begging him to go to bed but he refused. Booth scratched the back of his head and looked in the direction of the door.

--------------

Miranda wiped the counter top of the bar with a smile. She served a few customers and even flared for them. She took away a couple cups and put them in the sink in the back. She walked out of the back and saw Brennan sitting alone on the bar stool. Miranda casually smiled and walked over to her friend.

"What's up?" She asked, propping her elbow on the counter.

"I kissed him." Brennan responded with a frown.

"Really!?" Miranda shrieked with a big wide smile. "I bet it was really sweet. Are you two a couple now? Will I be hearing wedding bells? Mm, maybe a baby girl and possibly another one after that!? Oh we have to have double dates – I feel like shoving everyone out the door just so we can talk about—wait, what's with the frown?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It didn't turn out the way you'd think it would." Brennan crooked the side of her mouth.

"Why?" Miranda narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"

"After I kissed him for five seconds – not even five steamboats—"

"Steamboats?"

Brennan had a flash back. The time that she and Booth kissed under the mistletoe for more than five steamboats, made possible by Caroline Julian's successful blackmailing. It wasn't a moment that she had regretted, it wasn't something that she wanted to forget about so why does she want to forget this one? Was it because she initiated the kiss and no blackmail was involved?

"Long story." Brennan responded. "I just want to forget it happened." She rested her forehead on the counter.

"Why, was he a bad kisser?" Miranda frowned, ignoring the customers that called for her.

"Oh god no." Brennan chuckled. She looked up at her friend and then looked away. "He's a _really_ good kisser."

"Then why forget about it?"

"Hey bartender!" A man shouted. "Can I get some service here!?"

"Yeah, hold on!" Miranda shouted back.

"I'm afraid." Brennan looked down at her fiddling thumbs.

"Afraid of what?"

"That if I go through with it then it'll eventually ruin our work professional life."

"What work professional life?"

"Hello! Bartender!" The man shouted again.

"Okay, okay!" She shouted back and then looked down at her best friend. "Hold that thought."

Brennan nodded and watched as her friend walked away. She was going to confess to her friend that she lied to her all this time. Her real name wasn't Carrie Smith, she was never a dishwasher, she wasn't working at the bar to pay off rent; no, in fact she was fairly loaded. Miranda never knew that she was the author of those romantic, crime solving books that she had always talked about. How was her friend going to take the news?

Minutes later, Miranda walked back to her friend. "Sorry."

"You know you _are_ working. I can come back another time." Brennan was about to get up but Miranda made her sit back down.

"Please, you're my friend. Friends before work… unless I'm threatened to get fired." Miranda widened her smile. "So what was the deal about the whole 'work professional life'?"

"I'm… I'm not exactly who you think I am." Brennan started out.

"What do you mean, Carrie? I've known you for months now." Miranda slightly laughed.

"You might want to sit down for this." Brennan glanced up at her.

"Like I could." Miranda smirked, looking behind herself.

"Right..."

"Carrie, you're scaring me. Just tell me what's going on."

"I'm not Carrie Smith…"

"What?" Miranda furrowed her eyebrows. "Is this a game? Am I supposed to say, I'm not Miranda Karth?"

"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan." Brennan reached inside her purse to take out one of her books. She flipped it over and showed Miranda the author's page where her face was plastered all over it. Miranda looked down at the picture and then at her.

"Oh… my… god…" Miranda gasped with widened eyes. "You're—you're actually her…"

"Don't panic or scream—I've seen it in movies and it doesn't seem like an appropriate decision." Brennan put the book back inside her purse, carefully glancing up at her friend.

"The author of my favorite book has been working with me… at the bar… this whole time…" Miranda leaned against the counter containing the vodka bottles.

"Please don't scream."

"I—I don't—I just—Can you give me a second to process everything?" Miranda gasped, looking away.

Brennan nodded and carefully watched as Miranda heavily breathed. She didn't know that her identity would surprise someone like that. Undercover missions were never like this, probably because the killers weren't fans of the people trying to arrest them. Miranda turned around, trying to gather her thoughts and words. She looked down at her friend in silence.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Miranda asked her.

Brennan shook her head. "Nope."

"Are you sure?" Miranda slapped herself. "Okay, so it isn't a dream…"

"Maybe I should give you time to process everything." Brennan tried to get up but Miranda forced her to stay, again.

"Please stay. I'll process everything later. Right now, I'm here for you, not your autograph. So—um… go on." Miranda nodded with a slight smile.

"Booth is my partner." She abruptly said.

"Your partner?" Miranda asked.

Brennan pointed to herself. "Forensic Anthropologist."

"Oh – he's your FBI partner. So you two solve murders together like Andy Lister and Kathy Reichs." Miranda figured it out.

Brennan nodded.

"Wow, being in love with your own partner." Miranda leaned against the opposite counter, looking over at Brennan. "That's... awkward."

"If Booth and I were to get into an intimate relationship, it'd ruin our whole entire work professional life and then it'd lead to a new partner—"

"So basically, you're scared of love."

"I'm _not_ scared of love." Brennan sarcastically laughed.

"Yes you are." Miranda nodded. "You're afraid of going back after you kissed him, you told me he was an _excellent_ kisser and you kept a picture of him this whole entire time— wait, why are you here anyways, undercover assignment?"

"I ran away after I got a letter saying that my father and brother were murdered." Brennan looked away.

"Oh…" Miranda frowned in sadness. "I'm sorry…"

"They were the only family I had but Booth wouldn't let me deal with the problem on my own. His brother told me that he had the FBI search for me for months."

"His brother?"

"Booth's brother, Jared, helped me get here. I asked him to… He's the only one who would've done it without convincing me to stay." Brennan crooked the side of her mouth.

"Okay, let me try to add this all up." Miranda pressed her lips together. "You ran away because you lost your family, Booth tried to make you stay, his brother helped to run away and now Booth, with no coincidence what so ever, somehow came here with a fever, drank a lot and passed out. Now, you're taking care of him, scared to admit your feelings for him and are now telling me how kissing him scared you."

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

"Wow, okay…" Miranda shifted her hand to her forehead. "What an adventure…"

"Should I go back to him—"

"No duh!" Miranda shouted.

"But I don't want us to—"

"At least tell him how you feel." Miranda slightly smiled at the love struck friend in front of her.

"So you want me to tell him how much I'm scared of our future?"

"Exactly." Miranda nodded. "Just be honest to him."

"But—"

"No, no more talking." Miranda ordered her. She took her hand off her forehead and then pointed her index finger at her. "You drive home and tell him the truth."

Brennan opened her mouth in protest but Miranda darted a finger at her again. "No buts, no words of protest and definitely no running away."

"I don't know if I should either hug you or argue with you." Brennan gasped. She got off of the bar stool and made her way to her car. Miranda stood there with a smile on her face but in her mind, she was still trying to process everything.

"Wow… I just ordered Doctor Temperance Brennan. I'm definitely putting this on Twitter." Miranda widened her eyes in shock.

--------------

Booth still sat on the stool in front of the kitchen counter top. He was exhausted but he had to wait for her. He couldn't let her out of his sight again. He looked down at the counter top's marble pattern, thinking about that darn kiss. He could still taste her in his mouth. He heard a click at the door, making him swiftly turn his head in it's direction.

The door opened. Brennan looked up at him with a frown.

"You're still up?" She asked, knowing how late it was.

"I—I couldn't sleep." He lied.

Brennan closed the door behind her and locked it. She walked over to him and placed her purse on the table. She sat on the stool next to him, wondering what to say first. She laid her forearms on the table and clasped her hands together. Booth looked down at her hands before gazing up at her.

"I was scared, Booth." She gasped.

"Scared of what?" He asked silently.

"Scared of the future." She glanced over at him. "We can't be in an intimate relationship."

"I know." He slowly nodded.

"I love you, Booth, I really do."

"But work is more important, right?" He asked in a tone full of denial.

"I'd rather continue our work relationship with you than risk our friendship." She told him with a slight smile. "I hate to admit it – actually I hate to admit anything but… I'm scared of being with you."

"That… doesn't sound good." He narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Let me try to rephrase it." She pressed her lips together. "I'm scared of loving you if it means dealing with the arguing and cheating."

"Bones, I'd never cheat on you—"

"I know." She nodded. "But I'd rather be with you than actually _being with you_."

"Oh… so basically you're saying you don't want to love me." He said, still confused.

"No." She shook her head with a slight smile. "I don't want our friendship to disperse. I want us to stay friends and besides, Deputy Director Cullen would never let us work together if we did in fact start dating."

Booth nodded. "I want our friendship to last forever, too, Bones." He began to smile. "If it's what you want –"

"It is what I want." She nodded.

"If it means making you happy..." Booth looked down at her hands and slowly grasped one. He held her hand and rubbed the back of her thumb. Brennan smiled and gently squeezed his hand.

"After I'm all better, I'll leave." Booth glanced up at her.

"Okay." She nodded. "Are you going to go back home?"

"Yeah." He told her. "Angela's going to kill me when I show up with no Bones by my side."

Brennan smirked. "Tell everyone I said hi."

"You have to promise me, Bones."

"Promise you what?" She asked.

"If I leave promise me that you'll call every so often." He looked up, locking eyes with her.

Brennan's lips slowly formed a smile. She nodded and squeezed his hand once more. "I promise."

"When I get back, I'll be sure to find out who murdered Max and Russ." He told her. "I called the FBI while you were gone. They're already on a lead."

Booth looked up and saw a heartwarming smile on Brennan's face. She slipped her hand out of his and began to give him a surprise hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder.

Booth widened his eyes in surprise before slowly relaxing in her arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly closed his eyes. He smelled the fruity scent of her hair while his lips formed a wide smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Bones."

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B&B


	8. Chapter 8

Booth walked into the bathroom and proceeded to strip. He placed his clothes on the top of the hamper before walking into the shower. He turned the shower on and felt the hot water spill all over his chest. After a long, hot relaxing shower, he walked out of the shower and proceeded to dry his hair with his white towel. After, he tied the same towel around his waist. He grabbed his clothes that were sitting on the hamper and headed for the door.

Brennan woke up with a loud yawn. Her sweatpants were rolled at the waist and her navy blue tank top's spaghetti straps hugged her shoulders. She fluttered her eyes opened and silently made her way to the bathroom. She rubbed the corners of her eyes and placed one had on the doorknob. She turned it, opened the door and, without looking, she walked into the bathroom but something was blocking her way.

Booth watched as the door flung open but before he could react, he bumped right into Brennan. Brennan felt a damp chest crash into her and as she fell down, she felt someone crash right on top of her. She widened her eyes in shock and glanced down at the man before him.

Booth, wincing in pain from the headache caused by his fever, propped his hands on both sides of Brennan. He slightly lifted himself up and smelled something fairly familiar. He glanced in front of him and saw Brennan, lying there with her arms at her sides. Booth's mouth eventually gaped.

"Bones…?" He asked. "What—what are you…?"

"Booth." She responded.

"Huh?" He asked, still in shock.

"Do you mind getting off of me?" She asked with a slight smile.

"Oh—" He looked at his hands and quickly got off of her. "Sorry…" He apologized in an awkward tone.

Brennan got up, fondling something in her hands. She smiled down at the object and then slowly looked up at him. He raised his eyebrows in confusion and looked down as Brennan handed him something important.

"You might want this." She said, looking away. She handed him his white towel while her cheeks were bright red. Booth looked down in shock and quickly took the towel from her. He blushed and quickly covered his treasure with his clothes and white towel.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anything." She lied, smirking.

"Uh huh." He nervously nodded.

Brennan walked into the bathroom with that smile still on her face. She closed the bathroom door and tried really hard not to laugh. Booth watched as the door closed. He quietly turned around and got dressed. He walked towards her bed and reached inside his duffle bag to pick out some fresh new clothes.

He heard the door open and right when he turned his head to face her, he saw the same bright red face. Booth turned his body and proceeded to cover his family jewels.

"Did you… uh… want something, Bones?" He asked in an awkward tone.

"Yeah… I was going to… um… go get a towel." She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I'll get it." He told her.

"Okay." She widened her smile and slowly closed the door. Booth walked over to the cabinet inside the closet and took out a fresh blue towel. He walked over to the door and slightly opened it. He stretched his arm through the small opening and handed her the towel. She took it and watched Booth awkwardly look away. He closed the door and made his way back to his duffle bag. Brennan hugged the blue towel and widened her smile. She couldn't help but reminisce about his little Booth.

Brennan took quick hot shower. She dried herself off and then warped the towel around her head. She put on her sweatpants and blue tank top before quietly opening the door. She glanced up and saw Booth on the bed with only a pair of grey sweatpants on. She slowly smiled and wondered if he was fast asleep.

She walked over to him and gently placed his duffle bag beside the bed. She walked over to the side and gazed down at Booth's closed eyes. She trailed down to his mouth before stopping herself. His huge biceps and six pack abs always tended to drive her crazy. She watched as his chest slowly went up and down in a rhythmic breathing pattern. Brennan grabbed a blanket from the chair and gently placed it over Booth's body. She glanced down at Booth's tired face and watched as his lips formed a small smile.

Brennan smiled back and silently made her way to the bathroom. After an hour of blow drying, combing and curling, she opened the door and made her way to the closet. She picked out a pair of jeans, a pair of boots and a nice purple blouse. She placed all of the clothes on the bed and occasionally glanced over at her partner. She smiled as his non-snoring sleeping form turned over. He slightly opened his eyes and felt the soft blanket hug his body.

"Hey." He watched her change.

"Morning sleepy head." She responded with a smile. She changed into her jeans and then into her blouse.

He wasn't really awake which was probably why she let him watch. She sat on the bed and proceeded to put her boots on. He inched towards her and clenched the blanket against himself.

"Where are you going?" He asked, looking at her outfit.

"Going to lunch with Miranda." She responded, zipping up the side of her boot.

"Oh." He breathed. "Can I go?"

Brennan just simply smiled. She finished zipping up her other booth and snaked her hand towards his head. She pressed her hand against his forehead, checking to see if his fever had gone down. She took her hand away and glanced behind her to make eye contact.

"Your fever seems to be down." She told him.

"Dizziness is still there." He rolled back into his original position.

"You should be okay tomorrow." Brennan told him. She stood up and grabbed her purse that sat on the chair.

"But… I don't want to be 'okay'." He told her, extending his arm out so he could rest his head on it.

She turned around with a slight smile. "Booth…"

"I know I said I'd leave but… I really don't want to leave."

"I promised you I'd call every so often." She crooked the side of her mouth and began to sigh.

"I know…" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"You have to leave, you realize how much trouble you'd cause if you stayed here? Cam, Angela, Hodigns, Wendell _and_ the Bureau will miss you if you stay." She tried to convince him.

"If I leave, I'll miss you." He responded. "What am I going to do when I get back? Tell them that you refused to come home with me? Tell them that we're going to have to hire a new Forensic Anthropologist with the same obsessive intent towards her work and with the same lack of people skills?"

"Hey." She scolded him. "I have well acquired people skills besides, they've increasingly adapted when we worked together."

"Which is why I should stay; your people skills will blossom into a beautiful daffodil if I do." He smirked.

"If you don't leave then I can't do what I wanted to do. I can't find what I'm supposed to be doing if you're right by my side. Please, Booth, promise you'll leave tomorrow." She practically begged him.

He looked up at her with a slight frown. Booth looked away and quietly nodded. Brennan tilted her head to the side and crooked the side of her mouth. She turned around and began to close the door behind her but before she closed it completely, she told him something to lighten the mood.

"Don't over do it today, Booth. I don't want to come home and see a past out Booth on the couch again." She glanced at him before quietly closing the door.

Booth stared at the back of the door, smiled and slowly drifted asleep. He didn't want tomorrow to come but he wanted the night to fall so he can wrap his arm around her one last time.

--------------

Brennan sat across from Miranda, who had a pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a white t-shirt on. They sat in a small bakery that served the most amazing bread soup bowls.

"You're _forcing_ him to leave!?" Miranda widened her eyes in shock.

"I never said I was 'forcing' him." Brennan looked down at her soup bread bowl and sipped a little from her spoon.

"Yes you are! What happened to the whole 'I don't want to lose him as a partner' phrase?" Miranda heavily sighed. "You realize you're just pushing him away."

"I am not." Brennan told her. "If Booth is there with me then I might as well just got back to my old life."

"He's not there to get you back, he's there to protect you and to love you." Miranda said in a romantic way.

"We're not in a relationship, Miranda. I thought I told you that."

"Yeah, I know, but the way you describe how you two spend time together, people might as well call you two lobsters." Miranda took a sip of her soup.

"Lobsters?" Brennan furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I saw it on a FRIENDS episode once. Phoebe had to explain to Ross why they were meant for each other. She told him that they were lobsters and then she did something with her hands," Miranda tried to mimic Phoebe but failed. "Well, anyways, lobsters are supposed to live forever and hold each other's lobster claws."

"That doesn't sound logical." Brennan tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"You're really her…" Miranda smiled. "…Wow, I just realized, I'm having lunch with Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Brennan smirked. "You're not going to tell our boss, Joseph, that, are you?"

"Oh heavens no." Miranda shook her head. "I swore on my boyfriends' job that I'd never tell a soul about your identity."

"You make it sound like I'm on an undercover assignment." She tore off a piece of bread from the bread bowl and quietly ate it.

"So what are you going to do once Booth leaves?" Miranda asked.

"I'll stay here." Brennan responded.

"Forever?" Miranda raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Possibly." Brennan slightly nodded.

"What about Booth?"

"What about him? I promised him I'd call every so often."

"I think you should leave with him." Miranda crooked the side of her mouth. "My Temperance Brennan fan side urges you to stay but my best friend side scolds you to go."

Brennan began to grin. "You're a really good friend, Miranda, but Booth was apart of my pervious life, I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with out the help of my other friends."

"I know it's hard to live with the fact that your brother and father are gone… my mom passed away when I was ten and my dad left me when I was twelve. My aunt and uncle took me in but they passed away after my college graduation." Miranda's warm smile turned into a sad frown.

"Miranda… how come you never told me?" Brennan curiously asked while mourning for her friends' mom, aunt and uncle.

"After my aunt and uncle moved here, I tried living a whole different life but it never worked. Every day, I would always think of them and wonder if I could've done something to prevent their deaths. I always cursed the heavens for taking them away from me but after a while I learned that dying was a way of life. I finally accepted it when I found love. Brad has always given me happiness and I'm sure my mom, aunt and uncle are happy that I'm finally living the life I'm supposed to be living." Miranda widened her smile. "Maybe Booth is your Brad."

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows and replayed the same five words in her head over and over. _Maybe Booth is your Brad. Booth and I can never love each other, how can no one else see that? Maybe I'm over reacting… maybe I'm taking things too seriously. Booth has always been there for me, he's helped me in tough spots and he's always thought positive. He's made me smile when I was depressed…_

Brennan pressed her lips together and looked down at her soup inside her bread bowl.

--------------

"Well, guess I'm off now." Booth smiled, he turned his head to face Miranda and Brennan. Booth stood at the doorway with his duffle bag next to his feet. Brennan widened her smile and nodded.

"Be careful driving back." Brennan told him.

"I will." He responded.

Miranda smiled at the two and gently pushed Brennan forward. Brennan stumbled and fell into Booth's arms.

"You can't say good-bye to a man and not hug him." Miranda smirked.

Brennan glanced up at Booth and smiled nervously. Booth smiled back and slowly pulled her into his arms. Brennan wrapped her arms around his waist while he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. They both gave each other a tight squeeze before pulling apart.

Booth opened the door and pulled his duffle bag on his shoulders. He turned to glance at them once more before heading down the stairs. Brennan stood there next to Miranda, wondering if she did the right thing by making him leave. Booth opened the apartment complex's door and glanced up at the window to Brennan's bedroom.

He walked to his SUV, threw his duffle bag in the bag and walked around to the drivers' side. He opened the door and climbed inside. He closed the door and started the engine. He looked up at Brennan's bedroom window once more and saw Brennan staring down at him with a sad smile. She mouth three words, the words that Booth loved to see and hear. He smiled back and waved good-bye. In a few seconds, Booth was on the road, heading home towards his angry friends and colleges.

"Did I do the right thing?" Brennan asked, turning her head to face Miranda.

"No, but I'm sure you'll do the right thing later on." Miranda folded her arms with a smile.

--------------

One Month Later.

Booth walked into his apartment and tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter. He slowly walked to his bedroom and began to fumble with his tie. He had just finished the murder case on Max and Russ. The murderer was a crazed man looking for some booze. Max and Russ happened to pass him, the man asked them for some money or something to drink but they didn't respond. The drunken fool murdered them with a broken beer bottle seconds later.

Booth had tried calling Brennan to tell her of the good news but her phone was turned off. He had been taken straight to voicemail every time he tried. He flung his tie on his bed and wiggled out of his coat. He placed the coat on a nearby coat rack and proceeded to unbutton his casual white shirt.

A knock sounded. He poked his out of his bedroom and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. _Who would be knocking on my door at this hour? I paid the rent already… I think._

The person kept on knocking.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Booth shouted. He walked up to the door and unlocked it. He turned the knob and opened it. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the person in front of him.

"Hey." Brennan smiled happily. She had a grey sweatshirt on and a pair of pants. Her blue t-shirt underneath made her outfit seem casual.

"What—what are you—I thought—" Booth's hands began to sweat. He was a little nervous – no, he was absolutely nervous.

"You're not going to faint on me, are you?" Brennan furrowed her eyebrows with worry.

"I'm—I'm just really shocked… right now…" He looked down at her with his mouth ajar.

"I missed you too." She widened her smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay—"

"Miranda finally shoved some sense into me. If I left you then we would've broken our friendship and our partnership. Long distance relationships never work out, or that's what Miranda told me." Brennan tilted her head to the side.

"So you're here… for good?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Unless you want me to go back—"

"No." He grabbed her wrist in protest and began to grin. "Stay."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They hugged each other with one tight squeeze before pulling away.

"Do you mind if I stay here for the night?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all." He widened his smile.

"Are you happy that I'm back?"

"More than happy." He responded and pulled her into a nice, big warm embrace. "But you do realize, Angela's going to kick your butt once she sees you."

"I know." Brennan closed her eyes and smiled.

THE END.

########################################################################

B&B


End file.
